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Don’t get me wrong here. Scotland has long had a reputation for producing good managers (some too good to even consider the Scotland job). There are plenty of decent Scottish managers about but it should not be a pre-requisite for the job. I’m going to ask you to consider a few different names which I think make more sense than some of the old ones that are thrown about whenever the Scotland hot seat becomes vacant.

The likelihood is that it will be another Scottish coach but if not, I would suggest it will be someone with knowledge of the British game and good English communication skills. Gerard Houllier could be one such example. I have no idea if he’d be interested and may require more money than the SFA are prepared to pay. It may be fanciful but this is the type of foreign manager that should be considered rather than one who is coming into the Scottish game with his eyes completely shut. We don’t have time for all the experimentation that occurred under Vogts as he tried to unearth new players.

Of course, any British coach fills the above criteria. Personally, I wouldn’t mind but could your average TA member live with an English coach such as Alan Curbishley or dare I say Kevin Keegan? Perhaps not and the SFA will be aware of how little time the fans would give them if they got off to a bad start.

Too risky a manouvre?

So what about a coach from another part of the UK? I don’t think John Toshack will fancy it after witnessing Scotland at close quarters. But what about his compatriot Chris Coleman? He was one of the best young coaches in the EPL a few years ago and also has management experience in Spain although it didn’t go too well there. Coleman is not exactly setting Coventry alight at the moment but that hasn’t stopped Killie manager Jim Jefferies being one of the favourites for the job. Coleman has in the recent past managed well at a higher level than old JJ.

No? Then how about another former Fulham manager, Lawrie Sanchez? A Londoner by birth, Sanchez is more associated with Northern Ireland than England which could help his cause. He had an impressive spell in international management with Northern Ireland and his successes included wins over the likes of England and Spain. These are the kind of morale boosting wins that helped Alex McLeish in his tenure as Scotland coach. The ability to get the team punching above its weight rather than being knocked out cold is what the SFA is looking for.

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Credit to Wales for a cutting-edge performance that will give them new hope. They appear to have some good youngsters coming through. For instance, is there a young Scottish player coming through with the potential of Arsenal’s 18-year-old Aaron Ramsay?

Burley or whoever the coach happens to be, does not have great options available. When the line up was announced I felt Darren Fletcher was the only first choice pick there. The Man United star had a poor game but quite frankly Don Cowie is not an international class player and Naismith and Dorrans have some way to go. I have long sympathised with the lack of quality options available to the Scotland manager. At least with players like Naismith and Dorrans you can see what the plan is in terms of giving them the chance to develop in friendlies.

But Burley has blind faith in Kenny Miller, a striker who probably reached his peak in a Scotland shirt with his performance against Italy at Hampden in 2005. Despite plenty of opportunities, Miller failed to score in the last campaign, and now approaching 30, even clinical performances for Rangers are far too infrequent.

Burley could instead have looked to the future by starting with Steven Fletcher, a player who is currently looking like a better player in the EPL than Miller ever did. Or given a chance to Derek Riordan who often looks more effective in the SPL than the Rangers man.

There was a certain déjà vu about this match in Cardiff. Scotland lost 4-0 there last time in what for me was the last straw in the Vogts’ reign. In this one, Burley lost the benefit of the doubt he had gained at the close of the last campaign. Only a couple of generous decisions by the ref prevented this result from being even worse than Berti's botch up.

Wales were denied a good penalty shout just before half-time. On the box, Davie Provan described this as “a sympathy vote from the ref”. Then early in the second half, keeper David Marshall was very fortunate to only receive a yellow card after rushing from his box and handling outside the area.

Thank heavens Craig Bellamy and a few others weren’t playing. Assessing both squads and the teams they play for, it has to be said that on paper there didn't appear to be much to choose between them today. That suggests to me that this is not down to players but the way they were employed and organised by their respective managers with John Toshack evidently doing a far better job.

In a post-match interview, Darren Fletcher said Burley and Scotland could recover from this “because it was a friendly”. This argument no longer washes. Wales haven’t a World Cup on the horizon either but on this evidence they have a lot more to look forward to. At the end of the last campaign I said that Burley’s performances must be closely monitored over the next year and that friendlies should count for something as we can’t afford to decide two or three games into the next campaign that he isn’t up to the job.

The recent game in Japan was a write off to an extent because it was effectively a Scotland B team that went out there. This one wasn’t. The report card from the last two games reads played 2 lost 2 for 0 against 5. Add to that the fact a statistic with a longer span: Scotland have failed to score in four consecutive away games for the first time ever. The decision is surely not a difficult one for the SFA. It is time for change and the next coach needs two or three games to bed in before the Euro qualifiers start.

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Atlético have finished 4th the last two seasons, qualifying for the Champions League in the process. Those have been their best finishes since 1996. The lowest point came at the turn of the millenium when, despite winning the cup, the club was relegated to the second division. It was dubbed their “year in hell”, but it proved to be a two-year stay when they failed to gain promotion at the first attempt. Atlético fans must feel as if they’ve been tossed back into the inferno so many times since then.

Massive underachievement sums it up. Especially when they are frequently among the biggest spenders in La Liga. Despite having two of South America’s top strikers on board (Forlan and Agüero), the start to this season has been disastrous. Their Champions League performances so far, a home draw with Apoel of Cyprus, a 2-0 defeat in Porto and a thrashing (4-0) at Stamford Bridge make recent Old Firm performances in Europe look respectable by comparison.

Defeat in London was the final straw for Abel Resino. He has been replaced by Quique Sánchez Flores who was at the Vicente Calderón last night to watch his new side struggle at home against Mallorca. Despite being handed two penalties and the oppostion receiving two red cards, the match ended in a 1-1 draw after a dramatic equaliser at the death for the visitors.

Languishing in the bottom half of La Liga, Atlético could find themselves close to the relegation zone again after all this weekend’s matches are played. Flores’ first match in charge will be a cup match in Marbella – coincidentally the millionaires’ playground where the Gils (the dubious dynasty which has run the club since the mid-80s) made their name. Current owner Gil Marín recently announced he’d be stepping back from sporting operations. Little surprise that Atlético fans have had more than enough and they again gathered to protest against the board after last night’s dismal draw.

*Pic by Ballis ©2009 Deportivo La Coruña v Atlético Madrid

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Irvine Meadow, Dalbeattie Star, Gala Fairydean, Vale of Leithen, Bonnyrigg Rose, Civil Service Strollers, Hawick Royal Albert, Auchinleck Talbot, Inverurie Locomotive Works, Forres Mechanics, Clachnacuddin, St Cuthbert Wanderers, Wigtown and Bladnoch, Whitehill Welfare, Golspie Sutherland, Coldstream, Banks O'Dee...

Want to know how they all got on?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_cups/8276924.stm

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In reality it’s not that much to go on. Whatever way you want to look at 4 points collected from 6 games against the Netherlands, Norway and Macedonia, it is not good. Never mind the genuinely world class Dutch, does the Scottish team of today have any right to be collecting points in places like Skopje and Oslo? Haven’t they got players every bit as good as ours? The Macedonian forward Goran Pandev would walk into the Scotland team right now. The rest also showed that they know how to pass and move and control the ball during the first half a Hampden. Would George Burley currently say no to John Carew up front? Or John Arne Riise (like Pandev, currently playing his football in Serie A) as left wing back?

Big Joe in the days when Scottish strikers were genuinely feared. And who is that grinning in the background?

The Norwegians have just about as many playing regularly in the English Premier as Scotland does. As the final group placings suggest, there is nothing to choose between the sides. Scotland might have done slightly better against the others but the Norwegians crucially took four points when the two clashed.

Much has been made of that miss by Chris Iwelumo at Hampden and Kenny Miller got some stick last week, but the crux of the matter is that the quality of striker Scotland have available isn’t good enough at this level. Steven Fletcher has done okay for Scotland and contributes to the team but he is not a prolific striker. This is borne out by the fact that he is yet to score in the EPL. Ross McCormack looks promising and is unfortunately injured at the moment. He could have a significant part to play in the next campaign but again is he going to score that many goals? The Cardiff player looks to me to be more the supporting type forward just like S. Fletcher or McFadden. Garry O’Connor is on the fringes at Birmingham and isn’t looking a great danger at that level. His old teammate Derek Riordan is consistently finding the net for Hibs and should be looked at again for the next campaign but there are always question marks over his fitness and work rate. The only out and out striker of any note who has scored a few at this level is Kris Boyd and he doesn’t want to play (at least under the current manager).

In the absence of a Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish or Andy Gray (incredible that the latter only got 20 caps), it’s a pity that Burley can’t go out and pick up a “naturalised Scot”, just like Portugal have done after struggling to score in this campaign. The Brazilian, Liédson has been banging in the goals for Sporting Lisbon for a few seasons and the Portuguese have now turned to him as they are perfectly entitled to do. But as far as I’m aware, even a change of heart by the SFA over naturalised players would throw up little more than Nacho Novo who can't get a game ahead of Kenny Miller at Rangers.

Scotland are not overly endowed with real international class players these days as we all know. But even one notable striker could make the difference between failure and qualification. This is one of the major challenges facing George Burley. Some wanted Gordon Strachan, Craig Levein or Graeme Souness to come in but they wouldn’t be able to conjure up superstars out of thin air either. There’s always the possibility of bringing in Joe Jordan as player manager if the answer isn’t found soon.

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It’s quite likely that Alain (not so mellow with the yellows) Hamar's decision to send off Gary Caldwell merely provided an excuse for defeat. Despite all the talk of a good opening half hour for Scotland (I recall a decent opening ten minutes and one Kenny Miller chance), the Norwegians had already had a penalty claim turned down that Scotland would probably have got had the incident been at the other end at Hampden, and Riise had blasted over when it looked easier to score. It’s difficult to think of a Scotland player who did himself justice. I had quite high hopes for Fletcher and Brown in this game after their opening competitive club performances, but both were posted missing throughout. McFadden looked as if he might spark something for a brief 10 minute spell at the start of second half. Commons was probably Scotland’s only lively looking player other than that. The Derby midfielder had a good second half under the circumstances but he looked about the only one who hadn’t given up the ghost by then.

Credit to Norway for taking full advantage and really going for the jugular at times but I can’t help feeling that any side serious about playing in next year’s World Cup could still have come away with a draw last night – even with ten men. Instead, we witnessed the most inept defending and naivety since Bertie was in charge. There’s more to this than George Burley but unless he can double his two wins (both over Iceland) in what’s left of this campaign, then it’s hard to see how anybody could feel inspired enough to hold onto him beyond September.

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The only surprising thing about the appointment of Pellegrini is that he has taken so long to get a job with one of Spanish football’s giants. The Chilean has had Villarreal playing great football for years and he deserves the chance to see what he can do with even better resources.

Barcelona will be joined in the Champions league once again by Sevilla and Atlético Madrid (assuming the latter get through the qualifiers). Villarreal will play in the UEFA along with Valencia who just held off the challenge of Deportivo La Coruña. The Galicians had a very good season after spending very little compared to the teams abovre them. Depor coach Lotina said it has been his most satisfying season as a manager despite achieving cup success and Champions League football with Espanyol and Celta respectively.

These two clubs have had contrasting ends to the season. Espanyol produced an amazing run of results towards the end of the season to finish mid-table after being bottom and looking doomed just a few short months ago. Their feat has been overshowed by their neighbours but Espanyol can now look forward to inagurating their new stadium (near Barcelona airport) in the top flight come September.

Espanyol's new stadium at Cornellà-Prat.

Celta on the other hand are in danger of freefall. The Spanish second division has a few weeks still to run and the Vigo club are in danger of slipping out of Spanish football’s second flight. They have a crucial game in Vigo against relegation rivals Alavés at the weekend and a win would go a long way towards helping Celta stay up. However, it looks very likely that one of these two clubs who were playing European football not so long ago will end up in the third division.

Whichever one survives the season will be joined in Segunda A by Real Betis. Looking at the permutations last weekend, it appeared very unlikely that the green and white giants from the banks of the Guadalquivir would go down, but results conspired against them and there will be no league derbies in Seville next season.

Betis will be joined in Segunda by Numancia and Recreativo with Xerez, Tenerife and Zaragoza looking likely to replace them among the elite.

*Ballis will probably be putting his feet up for the summer to watch some tennis and golf but might be tempted to write the odd post about the Scottish managerial merry-go-round or any other fun at the fair. Have a good summer!

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However, Owen Coyle appears to have done a fantastic job since he left Perth for England’s North West. He also has a number of Scottish players there: Graham Alexander, Steven Caldwell, Kevin McDonald and the injured Russell Anderson.

I haven’t seen Burnley play this season but I understand they are a good footballing side and look forward to watching the final. It should be an interesting game against Sheffield United who I thought looked quite powerful and direct in their deserved win over Preston.

I was also amused this week by the following clip featuring a disabled fan celebrating Alexander’s first leg penalty against Reading. It reminded me of an old Alf Garnett sketch and there is the added coincidence that both support teams that play in claret and blue.

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Hibs face Rangers - the current holders of the trophy and finalists three years running. The Ibrox side are much criticised for not briniging through enough youngsters from their Murray Park complex. It would appear that the talent is there but Rangers generally have more readies available to dip into the transfer market for an established player rather than persevering with youngsters.

On the other hand, seven of tonight's Hibs squad have already been given new contracts and been told they will move up to join the first team next season. The question is when boss Mixu Paatelainen will give them a chance. My impression almost a year and a half into his tenure is that he prefers to sign and play seasoned journeymen ahead of some of his young talent.

But Ewan Moyes and Sean Welsh are a couple you might see in the Hibs first team over the next season or two. And Kurtis Byrne is a name that could feature soon in the SPL scoring charts. He’s the son of former Celtic player, Paul Byrne, and Hibs snapped him up from Norwich City a couple of years ago.

They might have to wait a while however, as slightly older Hibs players like Darren McCormack and Paul Hanlon are struggling to feature regularly for Hibs despite making the breakthrough into the Scotland under-21 squad.

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Well, I think it’s quite likely one day. Basically, where there’s a will there’s a way. It’s become quite clear over the years that it’s a proposition which leaves many associated with the Old Firm licking their chops.

The Scottish summer has come early this year and not just because of some decent weather. Bolton chairman Phil Gartside has raised the possibility of Celtic and Rangers joining a two-tier Premiership. UEFA have as good as said it is not their business and the matter will be discussed at the EPL’s annual general meeting in June.

The EPL doesn’t really need the Old Firm at the moment, but there will come a time when they look to spice things up and generate new interest. This would be one obvious way. It would seem that the possibility has a long way to go but if it does eventually happen where would that leave the SPL?

I was surprised to read in a poll in the Daily Record that currently says that almost 56% think that Scottish football would be better off if the Old Firm moved to England. First of all, we should be clear that many readers of the Daily Record are Old Firm fans. Are they voting yes simply because they wan the Old Firm to go to the EPL or do they really believe the rest of Scottish football would be better off without them?

Secondly, it has to be asked what is meant by better off? If they mean financially richer then I think the answer has to be a resounding No for current SPL clubs. Television and sponsorship money would be harder to come by and that’s almost bread and butter these days.

It might be more difficult to attract better players from outside the country as a few visits a season to the Ibrox and Celtic Park must be one of the big attractions of playing in Scotland. The shop window aspect of attracting a bigger club would also be somewhat reduced and even the odd Champions League qualifier isn’t likely to be that much of a carrot.

Leaving aside the politics of such a shakeup could affect the status of the national team, there are other respects in which the Scottish game would go on much as normal. For instance, many of Scotland’s better players have always ended up in Glasgow or England anyway, so what’s the difference there?

If by “better off” we mean more competitive and more interesting then I think that would be the case without a doubt. And some of the bigger remaining clubs: Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts, Hibs (and possibly two or three others on the odd occasion), might be able to call upon healthy crowds because they could challenge for the league championship. It might also leave the door open for league reconstruction and a return to a bigger league. Top flight football could help clubs like Dundee, St. Johnstone, Partick Thistle, Dunfermline, Morton and Livingston or Queen of the South.

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When you look at the quality Atlético have in their ranks you’d have to say that even qualifying for the UEFA would be a failure. They should at least be pushing for a Champions League place. One two was the story of the night with Kun Agüero exchanging passes with Forlan to score a tidy opener just before half-time. Kun then set up Simao for a second which had Atlético on easy street. A late Bodipo header left the Madrid side hanging on again in a match which they should have put to bed much earlier.

One player in the visiting line-up who will be happy to return to a quieter role and let the likes of Kun and Forlan resume the headlines is the Czech defender Ujfalusi. The (former) Czech captain was involved in a scandal following his country’s 2-1 defeat to arch rival Slovakia. He and five other members of the squad, including Milan Baros, were photographed in compromising positions with prostitutes in a Prague restaurant.

Imagine the reaction in Scotland if Barry Ferguson and Co were caught cavorting with floozies in a Glasgow restaurant in the immediate aftermath of a home defeat to England. Doesn’t really bear thinking about, does it?

Andrés Guardado looked as lively in the first 45 minutes as he has done for a while but his final ball was wanting. Kun (also pictured*) was the player with the cutting edge at Riazor last night.

*Pic by Ballis ©2009

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Compare that with the last 16 of the Champions League, which featured four clubs from both England and Spain, three from Italy, two from Portugal, and one each from Germany, Greece and France. That list has now been reduced to four from England, two from Spain and one each from Germany and Portugal.

So is the gulf between the creme de la creme and the rest in Europe’s “best leagues” even bigger than we thought? Have they got strength in depth or is it just a case of super-club dominance? Perhaps “best” really means least competitive, with leagues in Germany, France, Portugal, Russia and the Ukraine appearing to have a much healthier balance about them.

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Here's the opening section. Catch the entire screenplay on YouTube.

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Will Stranraer become the second borders club in a year to go out of business? One thing is certain; it's not only Scottish clubs that are suffering as a result of locals thinking their time and money is better spent elsewhere.

Albacete, a struggling Spanish second division club were in the top flight just a few seasons ago but gates have dropped to less than five thousand. This despite prices being dropped to between €3 and €8 per game. Very reasonable you would think when it costs €18 to see a bullfight, €15 to go to the theatre, €6.60 for the cinema and even a swim can be more exepensive at €3.70.

Albacete are trying to attract fans back in order to avoid slipping out of the professional ranks.

Do you love your local club enough to support them through thick and thin come rain or shine? If not, would cheaper pricing entice you back?

Albacete info translated and adapted from Marca, 16th April, 2008

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Hardly ideal preparation but the journey didn't faze Novo who turned in a match-winning performance in Galicia's 3-2 victory. The forward scored twice and was a constant thorn in Iran's side before being substituted with around twenty minutes to go.

A nice round 90 minutes played then, but not an average day at the office for a footballer. Anyone else know of a player who has played two games in the same day two thousand kilometres apart?

*Pic by Ballis ©2008

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55.4% Leo Messi (Barcelona)
10.1% Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
7.7% David Villa (Valencia)
4.6% Raúl (Real Madrid)
3.5% Xavi (Barcelona)
1.7% Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona)
1.1% Kun Agüero (Atlético Madrid)

El Publico survey, Dec. 2008

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Also, the clash sees the De Guzman brothers face up to each other. Jonathan (21) of Feyenoord, comes to north-west Spain with Feyenoord where his brother Julián (27) has been a lynchpin in the Depor midfield for several seasons. However, the older of the two brothers has been struggling with injuries this season and is unlikely to play.

Last year, Ballis brought you the curious story of the Bakers - brothers who played international football for different countries. Well, the de Guzmans are another case in point. They were born in Toronto and Julián plays for Canada. But Jonathan, who joined Feyenoord's youth set up at just 12 years old, now has Dutch citizenship and turns out for the Clockwork Orange.

Meanwhile, this week's Champions League action saw yet another scoreless draw (the fourth!) between Man Utd and Villarreal. That's one of the world's richest clubs up against a team from a town no bigger than Inverness or Falkirk. Just how do Villarreal do it? I tried to provide some answers in my guest article for goal.com this week.

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But ask yourself this. Imagine if at the Germany v England game, Capello and the players spent most of their time at the press conference talking about Scotland. Nah, just wouldn’t happen. Has there ever been a game where more has been said about irrelevant incidents in the past? Tonight's game appears to be little more than a sideshow starring one of the managers.

Granted that Scots are still keen to revel in a blatant act of cheating from over twenty years ago, which is ironic when so much time is spent criticising foreigners for diving and feigning injury, but it is evident from the accents that a fair number of the journalists asking questions in Glasgow about the Hand of God are English. Obviously they have little interest in the outcome of today’s game. Scots are often said to cry over Argentina but has England ever recovered?

Anyway, to the game itself. The Scottish press may also have their reasons for deflecting attention away from the present. Little wonder as the Scotland squad does not make for great viewing. There have been several high profile call offs. And when I heard that Miller and Robertson had been drafted into the squad this week, I thought we must be talking rugby. I had no idea what players were being referred to. I don’t think Lee Miller is even Scotland class but hopefully he will prove me wrong and do what his Pittodrie predecessor Stuart McKimmie did in a warm up for the 1990 World Cup - score the winner against Argentina. This win over the then World Champions provided the footballing historians among us to bring up the subject of Wembley ´67 once again.

On that historical note, it’s surprising that Scotland go into this game with an even head to head record against Argentina, albeit all games have been friendlies. The sides met twice in the seventies. Scotland drew 1-1 with Argentina in Buenos Aires on a South American tour in 1977, which was controversial for other reasons. I will be covering this in my current book,Countries of the World.

Two years later, Argentina came to Hampden and Diego scored his first goal for his country in a 3-1 victory for the South Americans on a sizzling June afternoon in Glasgow in front of over 60,000 fans. Scotland coach George Burley played in the game as did Alan Hansen. Read the latter’s memories of the game here.

With Messi absent the recent appointment of Maradona was a godsend for the media and the SFA, and should ensure a decent if not sell-out crown in spite of complaints about the ticket prices. I have to agree with Gordon Smith that a top price of thirty five pounds doesn’t seem excessive when you consider the quality in Argentina’s entirely Euro-based squad: five based in Madrid (Gago and Heinz from Real, Díaz from Getafe, Maxi Rodríguez from Atlético along with the star attraction in Messi’s absence – Kun Agüero), two defenders from Inter Milan (Burdisso and Zanetti), two from Bayern Munich (Demichelis, Sosa), and two forwards from Napoli (Denis and Lavezzi). The latter is not unlike Messi at times. Lavezzi could certainly destroy Scotland if he is given space.

There are four English based players: Jonas Gutierrez and Coloccini (Newcastle), Mascherano (Liverpool) and Tevez (Man U.), and three from Portugal - González and Lopéz from Porto and Di María from Benfica. The goalkeepers available are Carrizo(Lazio)and Romero(Alkmaar).

Stiff opposition for a squad that includes numerous players from average SPL and Championship clubs. It is difficult to see more than one outcome, especially with Scotland’s dire record in home friendlies in recent years. Scotland have to win one sometime, but it couldn’t be this one, could it?

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When I realised it was true, I then thought it must’ve been a team of youths. Not so. It might not have been their current best eleven but it’s hard to explain how a team including Edmilson, Cygan, Rossi, Matí Fernandez and Cani could have lost in this manner.

It’s a bit embarrassing for me as well because I’ve been raving about Villarreal for months, especially since I saw one of the best exhibitions of pass and move football I’ve ever seen in the flesh towards the end of last season.

What now for my reputation as a tipster since I’ve stated that Villarreal are serious candidates for both La Liga and the Champions League? But congratulations to Poli Ejido from Almeria. Far too often when there is a giant killing act like this all the focus is on the poor performance of the beaten team.

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This may be the perception in the west of Scotland and down south but such generalisations don’t go down well with the majority of the Edinburgh footballing public. Hibs do of course have Catholic origins. The club was founded in 1875 by Canon Hannan and Michael Whelahan from the city’s Catholic Young Men’s Society.

Hearts on the other hand, were founded one year earlier and appear to be seen as Protestant by default. That’s to say not being “Catholic Hibernian” equals Protestantism in the eyes of some. I’m not aware of any direct connections between Heart of Midlothian FC and the Church of Scotland, Freemasonry, The Free Church or any other kind of Protestant organisation. Perhaps someone can enlighten me if there is one.

It may well be true that most Catholics in the city generally favour Hibs over Hearts but it is just as likely that they will support Celtic. But the Edinburgh Greens have plenty of Protestants and/or other non-Catholics among their support.

The main reasons for supporting one of the Edinburgh clubs these days are either family tradition or location. In general, the north and east of the city leans towards Hibs while Hearts prevail in the south and west. However, that shouldn’t be taken too literally either as it as quite common for members of the same family to support different teams.

Admittedly, there are a small minority of fans of both clubs who like to latch onto the sectarian vibes of Glasgow’s Old Firm. But the majority of supporters of Hibs and Hearts take great offence at being seen as a Mini Tic or Diet Rangers.

It will be interesting to see if Rankin eventually responds to the complaints on his website. Should he apologise? At the time of writing, he does not appear to have done so.

Apology required please, Ian

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In my view it is an idiotic song at best. Where are the descendants of Irish immigrants from Edinburgh and Glasgow supposed to “go home” to? The Irish have been there in significant numbers since the 19th century. Should the ancestors of those Scots who settled in Ulster from the seventeenth century onwards maybe think about heading “home” too?

If it is supposed to be a joke or banter then I don't get it. Which Irish rebel songs did the Hibs fans sing to prompt the Famine Song as I couldn't hear any?

I was a little surprised and dismayed while in Scotland in recent weeks to read sports columns suggesting that this was a fuss about nothing. Imagine the reaction if for instance we had a song inferring that members of the Pakistani community should “go home”. I suspect the Scottish media would be up in arms about that and rightly so. So what’s the difference?

I fully understand that many in Scotland are tired of the tit-for-tat accusations from both sides of the Old Firm/sectarian divide. Far too often, both sides criticise the other while refusing to acknowledge they need to do anything about putting their own house in order. But when a foreign administration (Rep.of Ireland) deems it worthy of investigation and sends a complaint to the Scottish Government then surely the nation has to sit up and take notice.

To be fair, some attempts have been made by Rangers FC to do something about this. Just a few months ago, fans received advice from the club in an effort to stamp out sectarian numbers and show the way forward by encouraging chants of a more positive nature. At Easter Road this afternoon, I only heard one that could be regarded as a genuine club song – We Will Follow Rangers. Other than that, apart from the constant mantra of The Famine, we heard renditions of Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen. Odd that, when most other fans in Britain prefer to focus on their club and keep the singing of national anthems for international games. It begs the question of whether Rangers Football Club are oxymorons (or simply morons), but I suppose it is the prerogative of Rangers fans to celebrate their Britishness if they must. If the famine song is such a celebration, then God (if he exists), will have his work cut out saving them all, not just Her Majesty.

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Numerous Championship clubs were linked with the player. Celtic turned down a 400,000 offer from Burnley in January and just this summer told Leeds they were looking for a million. Riordan himself previously turned down an offer to join Cardiff when with Hibs, and there was also said to be an enquiry from Locomotiv Moscow, before the Russians signed his Hibs striking partner, Garry O’Connor.

So how did Hibs manage to recapture one of their “Fledgling Five” for as little as 250,000 quid? Perhaps English clubs were not prepared to take a risk on a player who has played little football and has recently been in the headlines for the wrong reasons. That seems unlikely in the insane English transfer market. More likely, Riordan had made it clear that his wish was to rejoin his boyhood heroes, even if it meant taking a hefty drop in wages. A very rare situation indeed these days. But if so, he would’ve been able to decline offers from elsewhere and sign a pre-contract with Hibs in January. By holding off, Riordan and his agent, former Hibs keeper Jim McArthur, gained control of the cards and Celtic were pushed into a cheap sale. Having said that, the Hoops still made a profit on the player. In 2006, Hibs were forced to take whatever they could get with Riordan’s contract running out and an irresistible move to Glasgow in the offing.

Riordan has signed a three-year deal and will now face up to high expectations at Hibernian where he averaged around 20 goals a season between 2003 and 2006. Deeks is the most two-footed striker I’ve seen at Easter Road and arguably one of the most skilful Scottish players of his generation. Scottish football has few enough players of real quality, without letting one go to waste. The fact he usually takes penalties and free kicks with his right foot suggests he is naturally right footed, but Riordan often prefers to play on the left and shoot with his “wrong foot”. Check out this video for evidence of that.

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Barça went down by a single goal to newly promoted Numancia. However, they’ve often struggled on previous visits to the Castilian city of Soria in a ground that holds less than 10,000. Just shows what you can be achieved with organisation, discipline and a bit of good luck. Hibs and Dundee United take note. Barça peppered Numancia’s goal but couldn’t find a way through.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, went down to 2-1 to Deportivo. The Champions haven’t won in La Coruña since 1991. Here are some goals from Depor’s stunning 17-year run. Real Madrid fans look away now.

*Hopefully this will also apply to my blog which has been a bit quiet lately.

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